The sailor took hold of the leg, Billy held on by the other, and placed the blade of the knife between two of the fingers of the left hand while he made believe to spit in his right. Then seizing the knife firmly, he plunged the point right into the breast of the fat, juicy bird, a gush of gravy came oozing out, and he began to cut so as to divide the food into two equal portions.
“My hye! he is a joosty one,” cried Billy. “It’s worth waiting till now to get a treat like this, mates. Can’t you smell him? Anyone going to jyne in?”
“No,” said Small; “we’ve all had plenty, my hearty. So go on, and tell us all about what you’ve done to-day.”
“All right!” cried Billy. “Now, then, messmet, she’s nearly through. Now haul, my son. Hauly, hi, ho!”
Billy’s fellow-traveller hauled at the bird’s leg; but that bird was rather overdone. Mrs Strong, aided by Mary O’Halloran as cook and kitchen-maid, had done their best in the rock kitchen with a fire of cocoa-nut shells and barks; but some piled-up pieces of coral and basalt, though they are great helps, do not form a patent prize kitchener; and though the result was very tempting to hungry men, there was a want of perfection in the browning of that bird. In fact here and there it was a bit burned, notably in its right leg—the one Billy’s companion held—and that leg was so horribly charred that when the man hauled it snapped off like a burned stick, and the bird, by the recoil and drag, came right into Billy’s lap.
“What are you up to now?” cried the latter. “Well, you are a chap, playing your larks when we’re so hungry! Don’t you want none?”
As he spoke, he worked his knife to and fro, and ended by making a division of the bird that could hardly be called a fair one.
“Look at that,” he said. “You’ve got first pick, as I’m carver; and though I feels a deal o’ respect for you, matey, I don’t think as how as you’d pick out the smallest bit, and hang me if I would, so here goes for another try.”
Billy made another cut at the bird, hewing off a good slice of the plump breast, which he laid on to the smaller side, giving it a flap with his blade to make it stick, and then passed it over.
“There,” he said, “that’s fair; so here goes to begin. Hullo, matey, won’t you bite?” he continued to the dog. “There, then, you can amoose yourself with them till your betters is done.”